Document Type
Report
Publication Date
5-2018
First Page
1
Last Page
8
Abstract
The Doppler effect is a well-known physical phenomenon which results in a change of a wave’s frequency or wavelength due to the motion of its source. Celestial objects in space (stars, galaxies, etc.) also experience a Doppler effect on their emitted electromagnetic radiation called redshift. In this study, redshifts were observed in the spectrographic observations of various celestial objects. This was done using a high-resolution near ultra-violet spectrometer in conjunction with a 14-inch Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. The spectrometer was used to measure the absorption spectrum of the bodies and then these absorption spectrums were compared against the Hydrogen emission spectrum. By calculating the difference in wavelength between the body’s absorption spectrum and Hydrogen’s emission spectrum, a redshift value, z, was determined. The redshift values for these celestial bodies were then used to infer additional information about them, such as velocity relative to Earth and distance from Earth.
Recommended Citation
Glatt, Joshua, "Calculating Redshift via Astronomical Spectroscopy" (2018). Physics Capstone Projects. Paper 66.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/phys_capstoneproject/66